The Bucket
The Bucket is the affectionate name given by residents and tourists alike to Gold Coast City, which lies just south of Millennium City. The Bucket is a pure entertainment district, with most of its income received by tourism. People from all over the world flock to The Bucket to take advantage of its world-class casinos and hotels, pristine white sand beaches, and its many, many vices. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 39,558, reflecting a decline of 959 from the 40,517 counted in the 2000 U.S. Census, which had in turn increased by 2,531 from the 37,986 counted in the 1990 U.S. Census. Gold Coast City is considered the "Gambling Capital of the West Coast," and currently has twelve casinos. In 2011, The Bucket's casinos employed approximately 33,000 employees, had 28.5 million visitors, made $3.3 billion in gaming revenue, and paid $278 million in taxes. Gold Coast City was incorporated as part of Paradigm City in 1954, making it the youngest of the Districts. The Townships of The Bucket The individual sections that make up the whole of The Bucket are known as Townships. Nobody is quite sure why the Townships are called as they are. Bader Field is the central most and largest Township, hosting six of the city's twelve casinos. The most popular casinos are Albino's, High Roller, and the infamous Alcohol Salad where the city's most potent crime lord, a French aristocrat known only as The Concierge, holds court. In addition to the casinos, Bader Field offers the Bader Field Opera House, the 80's-centric dance club Leg Warmer, and Artist Alley where one can find local street artists giving live performances, selling works of art ( some of which are actually good) and pan-handling. Bader Field is also the sight of the massive Gold Coast Card, the unique sporting arena where multimillionaire playboy Frederick Fagan hosts the annual Capes for Charity fighting event, where superheroes from all around Paradigm battle each other in order to win cash donations to their favorite charities. Capes for Charity has become an instution since it was first unveiled in 2010 and brings in millions of tourist dollars by itself every year, as fans of heroes from all over the world flock to the event to get autographs from and be photographed with their favorite superheroes. Oceanfront Mile is actually three miles of pure entertainment heaven. The massive boardwalk runs along the coastline, offering water sports, fishing, and tour cruises. The popular casinos here are Revel, Taj, Showboat, and The Tropicana. The entertainments along the boardwalk are gourmet restaurants, two bowling alleys, a 1800 square foot arcade called Zzap, and the exiting Oceanfront Amusement Park. Oceanfront Mile also sports the Paradigm City zoo and Gold Coast Convention Center. The GCC is the home of Paradigm City's resident football team, the Paradigm Rage. The Median is largely residential, with sprawling suburbs and gleaming high rises but even so it has entertainments for the tourist. The Pinnacle casino brings in a great deal of tourist revenue, and the Township also proudly presents many different shopping districts and malls, an annual air show, and a trolly tour of The Bucket's main tourist attractions. The Copeland is where people go to escape the hectic atmosphere snaking through the rest of the Bucket. In The Copeland, frenetic activity gives way to a serene ambience, where one can find beautifully tended residential neighborhoods, three and five star restaurants, the Golden Coast Opera House, and the brilliant open aired Amphitheater of Paradigm, which hosts Shakesspear in The Park, Concerts Under the Stars, and other such entertainments. The Superhuman Quandry Super-humans, hero and criminal alike, are very scarce in the Bucket. Despite all the tantalizing casinos just ripe for plunder by get-rich-quick motivated criminals, no casino has ever been robbed since Bitter Pill was appointed to be the big boss. The presence of a costumed superhuman, regardless of their motivation or outlook, causes Bitter Pill to unleash her personal strike force, the B-Girls, almost instantly to deal with the intruder. Because of Pill's swift and brutal action, super-humans may sometimes enter the Bucket to accomplish some minor goal or objective but none of them ever elect to try and stay. Nobody is quite sure why Pill refuses to allow meta-humans or, indeed, any type of criminals to operate in the Bucket aside from a rare few (see Crime below). Some believe it is for altruistic reasons, that there is a part of Bitter Pill that simply doesn't want 'her' citizens victimized. Most believe, though, that she understands the simple economics of cause and effect: High crime rates means a lack of tourism, a lack of tourism means a lack of income flowing into the city, and a lack of income shuts the city down and Bitter Pill will not be without her empire. Crime As one police officer once said. "We don't have a lot of crime here, but what we do have is drugs." He is absolutely correct. The Bucket doesn't have a lot of violent crime but narcotics is out of control. For the right price, anyone can get any kind of illegal substance they want. In addition to the rowdy drug trade, seekers can find prostitution rings, child pornography rings, and any other vice one can think of. For the right price, no pleasure is beyond reach. The Concierge holds all the strings. Though he is by no means The Bucket's arch-villain he does have a tremendous power base, and nothing happens in the city he doesn't know about; usually because he orders it. The Concierge is arrogance personified, and there is only one individual in The Bucket that can cut his feet out from under him. The Concierge rules his gambling empire with the help of his very deadly lover, the explosive Casino. The Righteous are the largest street gang operating in The Bucket. Though the gang has no super-powered allies to call upon they are armed with military grade firepower and don't hesitate to use it when confronted by costumed crime fighters. The Righteous operate numerous chop shop and drug dens within the Bucket, and serve as the foot soldiers for the Concierge. Something is very wrong with the Adrift. Thought this conglomeration of..creatures..sometimes operates as an organized street gang, most often they remain in their sewer lairs and don't bother the surface, but they are a powerful force when roused. Every single member of the Adrift have mutated for some inexplicable reason, and none of them look entirely human. They are an underground empire of super-powered creatures. Heroes and villains alike steer clear of angering the Adrift. People of Note Frederick Fagan owns several of the casinos in the Bucket, as well as a handful of nightclubs and sporting venues; making him not only one of the richest men in Paradigm City but, because of his striking Pierce Brosnan-ish good looks, also one of the city's most eligible bachelors. When not engaged in business ventures Mr. Fagan travels around the world stealing priceless works of art as the master thief Fox of Crime, a fact that is known to only a select few. Sebastian Shaw is publically known as the owner of five of Gold Coast City's best restaurants including the Micheline 4-star rated Hellfire Club. The chef turned restauranteur has gained quite a following from gourmands and foodies across the world. Polite, genteel, and oh so charming with his magnificent baritone upper-crust British accent Mr. Shaw can charm the socks off of just about anyone. However, many magically-inclined heroes from around Paradigm City have at times felt waves of blasphemous, infernal magic flowing off of the gentleman. This has lead several of said heroes to suspect that Shaw may be the infamous Black King of the mysterious organization named The 13th Hour. Angela Durant is the most famous investigative journalist in The Bucket. She is famous not only for her colorful, prosaic writing but for her morals and ethics: She refuses to print anything that has not been fact checked three times; so readers from around Paradigm City whom enjoy her articles in the Gold Coast Gazette know that she always speaks only the absolute truth without slant or bias. She is also known for being completely fearless in the persuit of her occupation; she has been known to even chase after the monsterous Bitter Pill, cornering the Overlord in order to get a quote. Category:Paradigm City